Today, I am reading and commenting on  1 Corinthians 9-11.

Paul covers several different topics in today’s passage, but one theme runs through his advice on dealing with each of those topics.  Early in the passage, while he was writing about paying those who preach the Gospel, Paul says, “we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.”  Then later, he writes, “No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.”  Throughout today’s passage I see Paul referencing that idea repeatedly.  Paul applies this them of seeking the good of others to each of the issues he addresses in today’s passage.  Paul writes that we have been freed by Christ so that we could, theoretically, do anything, but we should do only that which is beneficial.  How do we know what is beneficial?  That which promotes the good of others.   Paul subtly makes the point that seeking the good of others is beneficial to us.  As we discipline ourselves to seek the good of others we learn the ways which God gives us to resist temptation.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.